Synopsis
Emotional implications of proximity between two players are conveyed through the players’ interaction in a whimsical story about cool air and warm air who navigate through a sensory environment. Visual and aural signals are intensified as the players get closer to each other to unite in virtual space.

Abstract
In this project, the emotional implications of distance and proximity between two players in VR are conveyed through the narrative of cool air and warm air interacting with one another and the players’ visual and auditory experiences of proximity. We aim to represent the players’ experience of the change in proximity and how it impacts their perception of the other’s presence. The two players wearing VR headsets and holding controllers are positioned on opposite ends of the virtual space and move towards each other, progressing through four stages of distance: long-range, mid-range, close-range, and very close-range. As the distance between the players moves from long-range to very close-range, the color saturation, diversity of sounds, and volume of signals between the players are intensified. This increase in sensory experience of the other player implies that the players have gotten closer in spatial navigation with one another. In long- and mid-ranges, the players exchange flowers, using the melody and direction of the flowers to ascertain the other's presence and location. In the close-range stage, the players navigate by the directional cue they receive from 3-D audio to find each other. Through these sensory experiences, the players are provided with a unique opportunity to explore the emotional distance between each other.

Concept Sketch

Two players playing as warm air and cool air

the map of the progressions

VR game scenes for long-range or mid-range (left), close-range (center), and very close-range (right)

Hand UI (left) in the long-range and in the close-range (right)

Final map of records of interactions